


A Web of Memories

by dracoon



Category: Nobody Knows | 아무도 모른다
Genre: Gen, Other, Sangho's bad ending expanded tbh, and the only free person he'd scared to submission, but also with some insight from the people he'd tormented, by popular demand-ish, post-episode 16 ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24678886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoon/pseuds/dracoon
Summary: Set post-episode 16.Baek Sangho is committed into a psychiatric ward, and Cha Youngjin, intending to follow up with matters while worried he might be faking it to lighten his sentence, eventually discovers the truth couldn't be further from that.
Kudos: 7





	A Web of Memories

"You really didn't have to drive us, Taehyung-sshi," The grizzled woman had a soft smile on her face as the truck stopped in front of the drab hospital, "Eunho and I honestly would've just cycled." 

The man shrugged and turned off the ignition. "Lee-ssam mentioned it, and I got curious too. Can we all visit him, or is it just you?" he piped up, and Eunho turned to his companion for an answer as well, "I don't mind waiting outside with Eunho-sshi otherwise." 

"We all can visit," Youngjin nodded in reassurance before beginning to tease the boy with her, "Eunho insisted he wanted to come though. Have you forgotten that he kidnapped you, or is this just one of your bleeding-heart moments where you needed to check in?" 

Eunho shrugged off her arm, pouting petulantly before his face eventually faded into one of contemplation, far more mature than his years. "I...wanted to set my mind to ease," he admitted, looking Youngjin in the eye as he spoke, "To ensure that he's not capable of hurting or using anyone else anymore. He...he was hurt too, but that didn't entitle him to kill people the way he did. That's why I wanted to know if he really was gone, ahjumma." 

Taehyung slipped his hands into his jean pockets, smirking towards the building. "Ah, don't miss that," he stated with a derisive chuckle, "I really hate hospitals. There's this air of finality that can't be shaken off, and it sucks. Weighs heavily on the soul." 

Youngjin sighed softly, leading them both inside. The name given made the nurse's hackles raise instantly, but she was reassured by the stern woman showing her police badge. "He's rather loud," she explained, leading them towards one of the rooms with a ruckus in it and two police guards standing watch, "Just try to talk softly and don't approach him suddenly." 

At this, Youngjin seemed wary as the nurse left, a little too paranoid to take her words at face value. She nodded to Eunho, who'd paused in front of the door and began to seem uncertain. "I'm not sure what I'll see, ahjumma," he stated aloud, staring blankly at the wood in front of him, "You go in with Taehyung-hyung. I'll stay outside with the police guards." 

"Are you sure?" Youngjin's voice quickly shifted, trying to calm her young friend down, "I won't force you if you don't want to. You can peek inside if you think it's safe to come in, I'll tell them to let you in." Eunho silently nodded to her, now staring down at his sneakers, before Taehyung motioned towards the door: he'd reached for it when the police guards stopped him, and Youngjin glared to them both as they bowed, unlocking the door to let them into the dark room. 

Taehyung's eyes searched the room, raising a brow. "Weird, he's not around," he whispered, gesturing to the empty bed, "Do you think they were lying about him being--" He was interrupted as a lump at the far end of the room shifted, revealing a set of large, wild eyes that could only belong to one man. 

Baek Sangho looked a sorry state, his usually powerful stature now reduced to little more than skin and bones. He'd wrapped a blanket tightly around himself such that only his eyes peeked out in the darkness, shimmering with fear and delirium, and even as they stood in the room, he was shivering in the height of summer despite the layers around him. 

Youngjin's gaze fell upon him, unsympathetic to the killer of her best friend reduced to such a plight. She had to confirm, though, and began to boldly step towards him: as the first step echoed through the silent room, Sangho yelped and tightened the sheets he had around himself, crying loudly as he thrashed within.

"Don't hurt me...please..I'll do whatever...don't whip me...please...pastor Seo, I beg you...I'll do anything..." he shouted towards them, before tucking his head into the sheets, "Cold...why am I so cold...it hurts...it hurts..."

Taehyung turned towards Youngjin, before taking her by the arm when she tried to stride forward. "He might lash out," he whispered back, and she nodded in reply, gently putting his arm away. 

"I know," came her quiet, determined reply, stepping more towards him as Sangho now threw his hands up in a feeble attempt to shield himself from perceived abuse, "Don't worry. I'm just checking. Baek Sangho-sshi?" 

Hearing the new voice, Sangho huddled further into the corner, still with arms upraised while trying to put space between himself and the new presence. "A-ahjumma...I don't know anything...no...I'm just fine...these bruises are just...they're just from a fall," he muttered quickly, bright eyes darting from side to side as if coming up with a convincing excuse. He chuckled, slightly unhinged, before quickly turning back to her, "I fell down. Nothing to see here. The church treats me very well." 

Youngjin's eyes narrowed. She switched tactics, getting down on one knee like how she'd done before to help the other children. "Sangho-ya," she stated carefully, dropping to banmal as if she was talking to another child, "My name is Cha Youngjin. You can trust me. I...I'm here to help you." Inside, she balked, wondering if it was worth it to help Soojung's killer like this. 

Sangho's eyes met hers, and Youngjin noticed how glazed they'd become. He'd really driven himself insane from the isolation and pent-up anger about being caught, it seemed. He loosened the sheets around himself slightly, still with his head tucked into it like a hood when he turned towards her with a small, cautious smile. "You're here to help...that's wonderful," he quietly replied, tilting his head from side to side in childlike glee, "Help, help, I need help." 

Taehyung stepped forth seeing no movement, and Sangho flinched back, instinctively reaching out towards Youngjin. "The pastor...he's coming...we can't let him know you're here...he'd whip me...he'd whip me otherwise..." Sangho mumbled to Youngjin before shrugging off one of his sheets, "You...you have to hide yourself and cover your head. That way he wouldn't see you...yes. He won't see you." 

"I...what?" Taehyung's voice was flat, confused at his words, "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm..." He looked to Youngjin, who nodded for him to keep playing along. "I'm with Cha Youngjin-ahjumma. We're together. Yeah. We're here to help." 

Sangho nodded to himself, still shivering but now allowing himself to be brought back to the bed. Even then, he'd still been curled into a ball, hiding most of his face and body from view. Taehyung returned to Youngjin's side, mouthing _what do we do now_ as she reached for the lights: watching Sangho flinch didn't stop her as she flicked it on, revealing the countless biblical scriptures scrawled all over the walls and filling the floor under their feet that was hidden before. 

Taehyung stiffened, taking a step back towards the door as the horrible memories returned to him, but Youngjin knelt down carefully once more in front of Sangho, keeping him in view. "You're...safe here now," she informed the man across her, finally certain that he was no longer able to hurt anyone the way he'd had before, "The people here will help you, just like we are. You'd...you'd turn out just fine." Her smile was bitter at the thought of the path he'd gone down: she remembered him saying that if he'd been picked up by someone like her when he was a child, perhaps things might've turned out differently. 

As they eventually exited, Taehyung sagged and slid down the wall, clutching his collar as he gasped out air in short bursts from repressing his own panic. Youngjin glanced behind her, and Eunho returned to her side, looking uncertain about matters. 

"Don't worry. He...can't hurt anymore," Youngjin reassured her friend and extended her hand towards Taehyung- who quickly took it like a lifeline and followed her outside. 

She didn't think she could forgive someone who'd kept her so angry for this many years, but somehow, she knew she couldn't muster the hatred she'd had once before against him. He was tormented by being locked in his head, the memories of his torture at the hands of the church permanently on its surface with no reprieve. That was punishment enough. 


End file.
